The current contest is for best photograph that depicts what life is like during the COVID-19 pandemic.
First category are for photographs in Los Angeles County. The second category is photographs outside of Los Angeles County, but within the United States. One prize will be given to best photograph in each of the two categories.
See examples below.
1st Prize: $100
Submitted photographs may be published elsewhere.
Submit your photographs using the form below.
EACH PERSON MAY SUBMIT UP TO THREE PHOTOS. ONE PER E-MAIL. Make sure your email address is written correctly.
In the “Photo Description” box please include:
- City where picture was taken
- Date it was taken
- What did you take the picture with? ex. iPhone or Digital SLR camera model, etc.
- What made you want to take the picture?
CONTEST RULES
WHAT TO ENTER:
Any picture related to the COVID-19 Pandemic within the mentioned locations.
To be eligible for any category, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant since March 1, 2020. This date applies to all images in a composite. The contestant certifies that he/she is the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph.
Cropped photos are eligible in all categories. Do not accept digitally or otherwise enhanced or altered photos. Minor adjustments, including the removal of sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, toning, slight color adjustment and conversion to grayscale are acceptable for all categories. The addition and subtraction of objects is not permitted except in an Altered Images category, if such is within the contest. If the judges determine that a photographer has altered his or her photo, they reserve the right to move the photo to Altered Images or to disqualify it. Image composites including HDR and stitched panoramas will be judged as Altered Images.
For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must be prepared to provide a model release form from the subject (generally this is not needed if in a public outdoor place) or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian, upon request. **
Similarly, entrants whose photos depict other people’s work (such as sculptures, statues, paintings, and other copyrightable works) must be prepared to provide a release from the rights holder to the Smithsonian upon request. When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close-up of another person’s creation. **
If the entrant is unable to provide all required releases, we reserve the right to disqualify the submission, seek to secure the required releases, or permit the submission to remain in the contest.
Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.
Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by us, are ineligible for any category of this contest.
JUDGING Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, originality, responsiveness to the prompt and overall impact.
Selected finalists will be notified of their status and appear on our website in June 2020.
Winners will be notified via the contact information provided at the time of entry; Anyone who fails to respond to the notification within five business days may be disqualified.
Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.
ETHICS Entrants must disclose the circumstances under which an image was captured as well as any instructions given to a subject.
If baiting was used to attract wildlife, or special equipment such as camera traps and drones used to capture the photograph, this must be disclosed. Live baiting of wildlife is not permitted.
HOW TO ENTER: In order to be displayed in our online gallery without being stretched or distorted, photographs must be submitted in JPEG, JPG, PNG or GIF format, edited for web in sRGB color space, at least 2,000 pixels wide and no larger than 10 MB.
We do not accept photographs submitted through the mail and do not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address. High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.
Finalists must be prepared to submit an original, unedited digital file or an original negative, print or slide. Original negatives, prints or slides will be returned to finalists. We reserve the right to disqualify incomplete entries and/or contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph of at least 300 dpi at 3,000 pixels on the longest side or an original photo negative, print or slide. Mobile photographs are exempt from this size requirement, but must be submitted at their highest resolution upon request.
We may collect a photograph’s metadata upon entry.
You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant us a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the magazine and its website, exhibition, and commercial products, including but not limited to publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. We will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.
PRIZES: One prize will be awarded for May’s COVID-19 Contest.
GRAND PRIZE: $100
ONLINE FEATURES: We may select photos for highlighting on any website or display in a publicly accessible contest archive. Such selections will be made by our sole discretion.
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:All entrants hold the Sponsors and their respective regents, directors, officers, employees, emeriti, fellows, interns, research associates, and volunteers (the “Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all claims of any nature arising in connection with entrant’s participation in the contest and acceptance or use of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not liable for any costs, damages, injuries, or other claims incurred as a result of entrants’ participation in the contest or winner’s acceptance and usage of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not responsible for incomplete or misdirected entries, technical or network malfunctions or failures, or causes beyond their control. Entrants are solely responsible for their entries. Entrants may not submit materials that introduce any software viruses, worms or other programs designed to damage software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or are off-topic, partisan-political, contain advertising, nudity, personal attacks or expletives, or is otherwise abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, false, sexually explicit, or that infringes on the rights of any third party.
The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. We (TakeThePicture.com) reserve the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at our discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the winners, We reserve the right to award or not award the prizes in its sole discretion. We reserve the right to disqualify any entrant whose entry or conduct appears in any way to: inhibit the enjoyment of others; tamper with the competition; violate these rules or other applicable law or regulation; infringe on the rights of third parties; or act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. DECISIONS BY TakeThePicture.com ARE FINAL AND BINDING.
Last updated: May 2020.